As times change, so do people’s beliefs and behaviors regarding health and wellness. With that in mind, let us explore four of the most important trends currently at the forefront.
Your Voice Matters
In addition to your primary healthcare physician, the person who knows most about your own body and the troubles and tribulations it might be going through is you. It is you who has to experience and cope with the pain of a physical or mental illness. You have to deal with the side effects. As a result, you can contribute to your well-being and that of others who are going through the same thing.
Recognizing the need for patients to voice out their opinions and observations, today, several reputable organizations are providing individuals the chance to take part in fully financed market research studies in a wide variety of ailments such as psoriasis, osteoporosis, leukemia, gall bladder issues, Huntington disease, lung cancer, Parkinson’s, and many others. Through them, both patients and caregivers can provide crucial insight on the proper management of these conditions, not to mention valuable data for analysis and the possible implementation of suitable treatments.
Hitting the Reset Button
In the past few decades or so, most of the world’s deadliest diseases have been eradicated or addressed. Examples include smallpox, malaria, worm infections, lymphatic filariasis, and rinderpest. Naturally, we are not considering the covid-19 global pandemic and its ravaging effects on societies across the globe. Still, medicine has developed to such an extent that if not for the virus, people in the 21st century would be the healthiest they have been in centuries.
But there is one more illness that has taken nations by storm, one that is silent, attacks over a long period, and whose effects are yet to be fully known, never mind understood. If you have not guessed it already, we are talking about stress and the various issues that come with it.
Fortunately, companies and individuals are starting to recognize that, although not clear-cut, stress is something that needs to be taken care of. There is a renewed interest in subjects like work-life balance, mental well-being, and even wellness holidays of rest for all.
Specialized Services
The concept of personal trainers is nothing new. If you were to visit 100 different gyms in 100 different cities, you would more than likely find a certified fitness or nutritional coach in every single one of them. In most cases, there are at least two or three. But while having someone tell you how much weight you should lift, how often you should do it, what kind of stretching you should engage in before and after your workout, and the food that needs to be present in your breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the level of specialization has changed tremendously.
As people evolve, physical and emotional needs become much more sophisticated and specific. Even if two individuals of the same gender have similar schedules, are of the same age, and live in interchangeable circumstances, their body conditioning is very different.
For instance, one might have a certain bone structure that the other does not, the beginnings of a hereditary illness, or a food-related condition that requires a customized nutritional program combined with exercises to boost metabolism and increase flexibility, cardiovascular stamina, and functionality.
A Buffet of Healing
The great martial artist, philosopher, and action movie star Bruce Lee once said, “Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.” While he was probably talking about not being limited by individual fighting styles like Karate, Tae kwon do, or kickboxing, his words can be applied to almost anything in life, including healing any affliction we might be going through.
When people go to a buffet, oftentimes they do so because of the availability of choices. If they want meat, they can eat meat. If they desire a fruit or vegetable salad, some tea, and one or two cookies, that is their choice to make. Not only that, but they don’t have to limit themselves as it pertains to quantity.
The same goes for your body and mind. If you and your doctor decide the best course of action for a particular ailment is a combination of western medicine and traditional Chinese treatments like herbal medicine, acupuncture, or cupping, then that is the best choice to make.
As we have seen, there are four clear health and wellness trends today. Together, they form an integral part of a person’s overall well-being, longevity, and quality of life.
